Under Creature – Chapter 8.2

Author: nicotine

Seo Dohyun called out to him. He placed his hand on his chest, where blood was welling up, without hesitation and continued speaking.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll take good care of Doa, and of Latter. You said you wanted to retire and rest in the countryside, I’ll do that in your place.”

“……”

“What you wanted to do, what you tried to achieve, what you couldn’t achieve. I will carry it all on.”

It was a gentle touch patting his chest and a voice like a lullaby.

“So please, rest peacefully.”

And so, Bae Sangwoo entered into his final rest.

🦅࿐

“…oor…! …shut…!”

Had he been making flowers bloom in the darkness for a long while?

From beyond the thick door, he heard someone’s voice. Was it another person captured like him, or was it his colleagues who had located him and come to his rescue?

Jewoo placed his hands on the floor, surrounding the entrance with sturdy, giant trees. He made thorn bushes sprout in front of them to fend off the creatures’ approach.

Although he himself wasn’t one of them, ordinary hunters could be targets of attack for the creatures.

Soon, the door opened.

“Are you alrigh—!”

KWAANG!

A dozen or so creatures, all at once, threw themselves against the giant trees and charged at the vigilante corps.

The giant trees, which seemed like they would never break, began to slowly tilt after being rammed a few times.

Heek! The terrified vigilante member quickly pulled Jewoo by the scruff of his neck and escaped outside. Then, his colleagues hurriedly closed the huge door of the breeding ground and sealed it tightly.

“Are you okay? You’re not hurt anywhere?”

“Yes… yes. I’m okay.”

Jewoo answered dazedly and looked at the people who had saved him. The members of Latter were not among them.

‘I thought the hyungs would come to save me….’

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t disappointed.

“Don’t get too close.”

His senior berated the vigilante member who was making a fuss and checking on Jewoo’s well-being.

“What? We need to get him to a healer right now…!”

His senior shot a cold glance at Jewoo.

That person…. He had seen that face before.

‘…You protected Doa?’

‘Yes, …yes! Do-, Doa suddenly awakened, so I, I soaked her clothes in a lot of my blood and wrapped them around Doa, then hid her behind a creature! It’s a temporary measure, but it should be fine for a little while! Ju-, just in case, I also set up a shield here with wood! Like this, like this!’

The young Jewoo, afraid that the man might kill him, eagerly proved his usefulness.

This person is Doa’s older brother?

His first impression was ‘scary’.

He wasn’t an adult, his appearance making him look like a middle or high school student at most. And yet, he was terrifying, covered in blood from head to toe.

Furthermore, Seo Dohyun had just slaughtered the creature that was idolized in ‘Dello’.

It had happened right before his eyes, and he had no power to stop it, nor did he have any intention to.

It was the thing that had bewitched his parents, and he himself had been forced to drink its blood, as if shackled to the creature. While he felt a sense of relief, it was a natural course of things to feel a pang of sympathy for the creature instinctively.

Seo Dohyun left the trembling Jewoo behind and approached Doa, who was collapsed as if dead.

Her pulse was beating normally. Not a single scratch was visible. Great pain comes for a short while during the first awakening, so she might have fainted, unable to bear it. He looked at Jewoo again with an indifferent gaze.

Then does that mean what that kid said is true?

He said his parents were Blood Hunters, so he was forced to drink blood at a young age.

He knows it’s an incredibly difficult thing for a Blood Hunter to watch a creature die right before their eyes, trembling like a leaf in the wind, yet not looking away and watching until the very end.

He seemed to be around the same age as Doa, but he also looked to have a strong spirit.

‘Seo Dohyun! What are you doing! Team 3 is requesting support! If you’ve found Doa, hurry up and move!’

At his colleague’s call, Dohyun slung the unconscious Doa over his shoulder and said to Jewoo.

‘If you want to live, follow me.’

April 5th, seven years ago. It was the day Dello was annihilated, a day that left an indelible scar on Seo Dohyun and Seo Doa’s past, but for Jewoo, it was a day like a blessing.

He had lived almost his entire life as if confined. There were many days when he starved because he couldn’t eat if he didn’t drink blood.

If you want to live, follow me?

That day was also the second birthday of a certain boy who wielded plants with his ability.

“If I tell you not to get close, then don’t get close! No back talk, get over here.”

“…Yes.”

It was the man who had called for Dohyun seven years ago, saying they needed to go support Team 3. Back then, he used to glare at Jewoo with a look of displeasure as he desperately followed behind Dohyun.

It was understandable, as most of the vigilante corps members were uncomfortable with Blood Hunters, even if they had repented.

Jewoo voluntarily put some distance between himself and them and cautiously asked.

“Um… how did you know where I was and come to find me?”

“Because my superior told me.”

At the blunt reply, Jewoo’s face fell once more. He had seen the message and thought that maybe the hyungs had reported it, but that wasn’t it either.

Just then.

“Your colleague who was with you gave us a rough location, so it was easier to find you.”

“Ah…!”

Gyeom hyung did…. Jewoo’s face brightened, and his lips twitched as he tried to suppress the corners of his mouth from turning up.

The vigilante member who saw Jewoo clicked his tongue, tsk.

He looked just as naive now as he did seven years ago.

He was actually young, too. He thought that since he had drunk blood at a young age, he wouldn’t be able to hold back and would only crave blood again. Indeed, in the beginning, he couldn’t adapt to the shelter, but now he was enduring more tenaciously than anyone and living the life of an ordinary hunter.

He was a case of being forcibly turned into a Blood Hunter in his childhood in the first place. A tragic life. Apart from his disgust for Blood Hunters, he couldn’t help but offer praise to Jewoo.

“You’ve endured well.”

Then and now.

He muttered it as he passed by, turning his back to Jewoo. Jewoo was not one to miss it.

“Yes! I’m confident in my endurance. Hehe.”

“…The mission is complete, let’s go back now.”

At the senior’s words, the vigilante member next to him checked a message from a colleague and said.

“Yes, A is currently at Iryeon. It’s less than a 5-minute drive from here…”

“A? A is here?”

They ignored Jewoo, who was looking up with wide eyes, and checked the message again, continuing where they had left off.

“Team 2 has arrested two Blood Hunters who were in the vicinity. And…. um?”

Does two people mean Lee Piljin and the one who snuck up from behind and choked me unconscious? Jewoo listened attentively to his words, waiting for him to add more.

“…Mister.”

“What? What’s the rest of the message?”

“The message… is that Bae Sangwoo, Sangwoo hyung-nim, has passed away.”

🦅࿐

Yigeom took out and put on the black suit he had tailored at Iryeon a few days ago.

The incident that occurred in Busan, at Iryeon, had come to a close.

The Director was revealed to be a Blood Hunter, and people from the Association came down to Iryeon to start a large-scale investigation.

The total number of people arrested was seven. They were the ones who worked at Iryeon and pushed people into the creature breeding ground as food.

The organization’s name was ‘Orca’, and besides the arrested members, there were numerous other members, but they had already pulled out and fled long ago.

A declared that he would hunt them down. That was a matter of course. Because ‘Orca’s’ Kwon Sanghyuk had murdered Bae Sangwoo.

Kwon Sanghyuk was revealed to be a Blood Hunter, and based on Yigeom’s testimony that he had seen him hide himself with invisibility, he was classified as a ‘Plural Ability User’.

It was concluded that every time the Association did a blood test, he had manipulated the data with his inherent ability, ‘Illusion’, and that he was indeed the unidentified person who had used invisibility during the Association raid.

Perhaps the reason Bae Sangwoo attacked Seo Doa was also due to Kwon Sanghyuk’s illusion.

Why didn’t I know sooner? I should have realized that Bae Sangwoo was under someone’s ability and that there was one more enemy.

If the Director had teleportation and the other guy had a pain-inducing ability, where did the illusion Bae Sangwoo saw come from? If only I had looked into that a little more deeply…. If only….

The cause was that he couldn’t make a wise judgment because right after that, Yeho had stormed in, Jewoo was trapped in the creature breeding ground, and various other things had happened one after another without a break.

Realization and regret always come after everything has already happened.

So what happened to Kwon Sanghyuk? He had disappeared after sustaining a gunshot wound to the shoulder. It seemed he had fled with his comrades.

Hunters were called to dispose of the creatures in the breeding ground one by one, and all the research data Orca had been conducting was collected.

Normally, the Blood Hunters should have either taken all the research data or secretly removed the creatures before setting fire to destroy the materials. But as luck would have it, Cha Jewoo was trapped in the creature breeding ground, and that was impossible because the vigilante corps had set out on a search to rescue him.

They probably fled with tears in their eyes.

It must have been an unexpected turn of events for them too, that Jewoo was a former Blood Hunter, that he wasn’t eaten by the creatures, and that he had been safely confined in the breeding ground, sending a signal to Yigeom.

The hunt for spies inside Iryeon began. Many Blood Hunters were arrested. The creature breeding ground was discovered. There were many gains, but the losses were just as great.

Yigeom quietly looked out the window. It was raining today.

After finally tying his necktie, he grabbed an umbrella and stepped outside.

When he got into Seo Dohyun’s car, Doa and Jewoo were already inside. They too were wearing suits tailored together at Iryeon.

He thought the day he would wear a suit would come at least a year later, since he was still a student, but he never thought he would wear one like this.

His throat choked up at this bleak reality, unsure whether to be amazed at Seo Dohyun’s foresight in readily having suits made for the stubborn students.

Today it is raining, and it is the day of Bae Sangwoo’s funeral.

The ceremony was held grandly in an ordinary place. The grandeur was a term to describe the ceaseless flow of mourners. Many people attended his funeral.

Those who were close to Bae Sangwoo, those who had gone on missions with him, or those who had received his help.

The vigilante corps, in particular, couldn’t seem to leave his funeral hall. And it was the same for Latter.

Bae Sangwoo, who was unmarried and whose parents had also passed away, had no family. However, Seo Dohyun, who had grown up under his care since childhood, stood there as the chief mourner, and Seo Doa as a mourner, both wearing mourning clothes.

Dohyun greeted the mourners and respectfully paid his respects to those who offered their condolences. He, along with Doa, stayed at the wake the entire time without a wink of sleep.

“You go get some rest.”

“I’m okay.”

Yigeom, who had been keeping watch beside them, suggested Jewoo take a break, but he declined, turning away his reddened eyes.

“Actually, you know. I’ve known Sangwoo-ajeossi since a long time ago.”

“I’m sure you did.”

He had heard all of Jewoo’s story. That he had become a Blood Hunter because of his parents and was still enduring the addiction.

In the past, Seo Dohyun had once mentioned that there was someone who had overcome the addiction. It was Jewoo. He was surprised, but soon patted him on the back, telling him he had endured well until now and had done a good job.

Nothing changed just because Jewoo was a former Blood Hunter. Then and now, Yigeom is friends with Jooseungtae, and it’s the same with Cha Jewoo.

He had told Doa a version of the story that conveniently left out the word ‘kidnapping,’ simply saying that Seo Dohyun had rescued a young Jewoo during his vigilante days.

She too was a little surprised at first but quickly accepted it. It wasn’t as if she would drift apart from Cha Jewoo over something like this, and more importantly, holding Bae Sangwoo’s funeral was the top priority, so it was glossed over.

“Actually, when I was in the shelter, he helped me a lot. He’d buy me things…. And… on the days I couldn’t stand the addiction and did bad things, he scolded me so harshly, he was scary.”

“……”

Jewoo said he had diligently attended rehabilitation classes at the shelter for several years, starting from the day Dello was annihilated seven years ago.

He had thought, why should Jewoo go to a shelter when his parents were the ones at fault, but he had no room to argue since the place also had a center to help overcome addiction, and Jewoo had entered voluntarily.

And so, after several years in the shelter, when he came out and was able to live a somewhat normal life, he sought out Seo Dohyun and joined Latter.

“You’ve arrived.”

Yigeom, who had been quietly listening to Jewoo, turned his head at that moment.

A vigilante member was greeting A. Come to think of it, he hadn’t run into him, but he had heard that A had also briefly come to Iryeon.

He was still wearing a mask, but when he lit the incense and bowed for a moment, he took off the mask and placed it beside him.

It was the first time he had taken off his mask in front of everyone.

But no one was curious about his face, paying their respects to Bae Sangwoo. There were even some who deliberately turned their heads to avoid seeing his bare face.

After finishing his bow, he put the mask back on and disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared. Was A crying? Yigeom couldn’t know.

Someone else was to take over Bae Sangwoo’s role as the liaison between A and the vigilante corps.

His name was ‘Kim Hyunggyu,’ and he had been dispatched to Dello seven years ago as a two-man team with Seo Dohyun. He was also the one who had rescued Jewoo from the creature breeding ground this time.

For some reason, Yigeom felt a tightness in his chest. Taking over Bae Sangwoo’s role, this really… this really felt like acknowledging his death.

He felt like he was suffocating.

“…I’m going to get some air for a bit.”

“Yes. Please rest comfortably and come back.”

After telling Jewoo, Yigeom hurriedly went outside the building.

He let out a deep breath into the empty air. He’s still thinking. Thinking and thinking again.

What would have been the best thing for me to do in that situation? Maybe there was a better way for everyone to live.

But no matter how much he thought, no answer came.

Seo Dohyun had taken care of two Blood Hunters, including the Director, and he had found Cha Jewoo’s location with his ability, and Yeho’s Master had come. Was it that complacent thought that with this group, they could easily break through any situation, that killed Bae Sangwoo?

If they hadn’t formed the formation as Bae Sangwoo instructed before leaving Iryeon, there might have been even greater damage. He had thought, ‘We don’t have to do this.’

Because he could see inside Iryeon clearly without it.

Just a mere kid.

Had he become arrogant after fighting a few battles?

Even that Seo Dohyun had silently fallen into formation. Who was I to feel so smug? Was Bae Sangwoo the victim of that arrogance?

Both Seo Doa and Noh Jeonggyu had formed the line, tensed, and scouted the surroundings, while he, on the contrary, had been observing the two of them.

Was that why Kwon Sanghyuk had targeted me? Was that… was that why Bae Sangwoo took the hit instead?

No matter how many times he went over that day’s events, the cause of it all was Yigeom himself.

“Haaah….”

He fidgeted with the small box that Bae Sangwoo had given him right before he died. He hadn’t been able to let it go for a single moment since that day. He carried it with him wherever he went.

He later found out that in the vigilante corps, the creature poison identifier held a rather special meaning.

He heard that if it was broken or lost, that day was called an unlucky day, a jinxed day, and many carried it as a precious amulet to protect themselves.

One of them was Bae Sangwoo.

Unfortunately, Yigeom encountered Blood Hunters as often as the vigilante corps, so it seemed he had prepared it as an amulet.

Instead of giving it to a guy like me, he should have made a new one for himself. That foolish mister.

“What are you doing here.”

“…Just getting some air. You?”

“Because you weren’t there.”

Even though he hadn’t left the wake for a single moment for days on end…. That Seo Dohyun followed Yigeom out of the building. And he said with a shadowed face.

“I was worried you were blaming yourself.”

“…Ha.”

Yigeom let out a small, genuine laugh. Somehow, he couldn’t hide anything from Seo Dohyun. Even if he tried to hide it, he would always figure it out. It was a matter of course. They shared the same memories.

Yigeom fiddled with the box, clicking it open and shut, and muttered.

“Back then.”

“……”

“What if I had been the one to get hit instead of Mister? If I had pushed him and….”

“You tried that.”

Forgot? You died after that. He stated calmly. Yigeom lowered his eyes in guilt.

“That was the right thing to do.”

“What?”

Yigeom’s voice gradually began to tremble.

“That was the right thing to do. It was because I didn’t have the courage. I was a coward.”

“Yoon Yigeom.”

“I…. I was a coward, and I was selfish. That’s why I couldn’t decide. I should have been the one to die, not Mister. That was the right thing.”

“Yoon Yigeom.”

“Seo Dohyun. I…. I would rather….”

“Yoon Yigeom!”

Yigeom, startled, looked up at Seo Dohyun. He had rarely raised his voice. The face he met was filled with anger. He chewed on his fury and recited.

“I made the choice.”

“……”

“When you died, I reset. You couldn’t decide? Of course. Because you don’t have that right.”

“What… what does that….”

It was an absurd sophistry.

“If you had died, I would have used my ability again and again, dozens of times.”

Yigeom was at a loss for words. Seo Dohyun told him in a monotone voice.

“I chose you.”

🦅࿐

The funeral ended, and Bae Sangwoo was buried deep in the earth.

Yigeom silently watched the scene, burying Bae Sangwoo deep in his heart.

And a few days later, Seo Dohyun fell ill. Severely ill. Doa, worried, even asked Yigeom to look after him on her way to school.

Yigeom bought medicine and porridge and headed to his house. Dohyun had been to Yigeom’s house many times, but this was the first time it was the other way around.

That day, he had exceeded his limit and used his ability several times, settled the matter at Iryeon, and even held Bae Sangwoo’s funeral as the chief mourner.

It was impossible for him not to be sick. In fact, it was a wonder he hadn’t collapsed until now.

He found the address Doa had sent, entered the password she had given him, and went inside. Compared to the office, which was not well-cleaned, the house was surprisingly neat.

Yigeom passed through the hallway, flinging open closed doors one by one. This was the bathroom, this was Seo Doa’s room, and when he opened the last door, he found Seo Dohyun lying in bed.

“Hey. Came to hang out?”

Seeing him make a casual joke, it seemed he had already heard from Doa that he was coming.

“Hang out? What do you mean? I came to nurse you.”

“I’ll be better by tomorrow.”

“Forget it.”

Yigeom stubbornly handed him the porridge he had bought.

“Eat.”

Dohyun got out of bed and headed to the kitchen table. Yigeom sat down across from him.

“School? No classes?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re not eating?”

“I already ate.”

“We could have eaten together.”

“I don’t really like porridge.”

“I’ll remember that.”

Normally, Yigeom would have snapped at him, asking what he would use that information for, but he remained silent.

‘I chose you.’

Since that day, their relationship had subtly changed. They were a little more careful with their words to each other, and sometimes they shared things they couldn’t say to others.

Yigeom, who was staring blankly at Dohyun picking up his spoon, opened his mouth.

“You know that time before, when I got the offer from the vigilante corps and went to see Mister’s office?”

“Yeah.”

“Back then, I asked Mister what the silver pin soaked in his tea was….”

Most of the stories were about the forgotten time.

“And when we were looking for Seo Doa in Iryeon, Mister was under an illusion and…. I… your wrist….”

“So that’s what happened.”

The number of times Yigeom sought out Dohyun to chatter away increased, and Dohyun silently went along with his words.

In fact, he had heard the stories many times before, and Yigeom also remembered telling him these things several times.

But the reason he said them over and over was because he wanted to relieve those emotions even in this way. Praying that one day he would be able to speak of them casually.

And every time, Seo Dohyun would listen attentively without interrupting Yigeom.

When all the words were finished, a silence would fall. Yigeom would close his mouth and gaze at him. The thought that came to him after all the conversations ended was always the same.

Isn’t he sick of it? How foolish.

It would be boring to hear the same thing over and over, but he was always at the same temperature.

“If you’re done eating, take your medicine.”

“I’ll be better by tomorrow, so why bother.”

In fact, for someone who was severely ill, Seo Dohyun didn’t look sick. He didn’t show it, as if he wanted to hide it, but when he placed a hand on his forehead, his temperature was hotter than usual.

He’s not a kid, so why on earth won’t he take his medicine?

“Just take it.”

When he finally presented the medicine to him, he gulped it down. And Yigeom continued speaking again.

“I need to see more.”

“See what?”

Seo Dohyun asked back as he swallowed the water. This was a story he was hearing for the first time.

“If I had seen Kwon Sanghyuk before he pulled the trigger, I could have avoided it sooner.”

“Yoon Yigeom.”

He would always listen well to his stories, but whenever he expressed regret and self-blame about Bae Sangwoo’s death, he would call out his full name and warn him to stop.

“…It’s just. I need to train my ability a little. That’s all.”

Until now, he had been satisfied with being able to see clearly within a 50m radius.

Side effects of the ability? He didn’t know when something like last time would happen again. It would be a relief if it never happened again for the rest of his life, but what if it did? Yigeom didn’t want to see someone else die then.

Whatever it was, he needed to see farther, and he had to do it now.

Yigeom stealthily watched Seo Dohyun’s expression.

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

“Say what? Ah, you want to get some air? Should we go for a walk?”

“That’s not it…. Haaah, never mind. What’s a sick person doing going out? Go lie back down.”

Yigeom muttered under his breath, wondering if he was pretending not to know everything.

As for himself, he would lean on him, pouring out his weary heart about the past, but he didn’t do that.

Seo Dohyun would just listen and never express any of his own emotions, like ‘I was like this that day,’ or ‘I was a little sad then,’ or ‘I was angry.’

Bae Sangwoo’s death must have been a considerable shock to him too. He hadn’t forgotten what Seo Dohyun had said then.

Did he say he would fulfill what Mister tried to achieve in his place?

In the end, Yigeom was the first to bring it up.

“You said last time about Mister…. that you would carry it on.”

He was about to say ‘when Bae Sangwoo died’ but bit his lip and spoke vaguely. Nevertheless, Seo Dohyun understood everything and nodded his head.

“I did.”

“How?”

“Why do you ask?”

“…Let me help too.”

At the very least, he wanted to do that. The work Bae Sangwoo tried to accomplish. Since he was in the vigilante corps, was it catching Blood Hunters? If so, he would do that too.

“I’m just planning to have regular exchanges with the vigilante corps. And help out if they’re short on manpower.”

“I’ll do it too.”

Yigeom repeatedly exclaimed.

“I’ll do it too.”

“How do you know what kind of work it is.”

“Whatever it is.”

He couldn’t just turn a blind eye and live on. He had a conscience, so he couldn’t pretend the past didn’t happen and live cheerfully. Even if it was something Bae Sangwoo didn’t want, he wanted to atone in his own way.

Seo Dohyun pondered for a moment and decided to accept. Because he didn’t think Yoon Yigeom would listen even if he refused now.

At his affirmation, Yigeom’s expression brightened a little, and he stood up from the table.

“Then you go lie down in bed now.”

“Are you leaving?”

Yigeom hesitated, then mumbled a question.

“Why. Want me to stay a little longer?”

“Yeah. Stay by my side.”

‘…Why aren’t you taking me home?’

‘It’s scary to be alone on a day like this.’

Was it during the Association raid? He remembered what Seo Dohyun had said.

Come to think of it, Seo Dohyun was not a god or anything else. In the face of the death of a close acquaintance, he might be lonely and scared, barely holding himself together from falling apart.

Yigeom himself had received plenty of comfort from him and couldn’t bring himself to be the kind of person who would just up and leave.

As if to urge Yigeom on, his newly replaced phone vibrated. It was a call from Kang Taeha, from whom he hadn’t heard in several days. Seo Dohyun also saw the caller ID on the screen and frowned.

“Are you leaving?”

Yigeom silently switched his phone to silent. He would never answer the call.

“I’ll stay here.”

“Why are there so many thriller movies?”

Yigeom asked while looking through the VODs saved on his home TV. This one had ghosts, that one had a murderer, another was about surviving a disaster—they were all heart-pounding movies.

“Doa likes them.”

“Have you seen them all?”

“I’ve seen a few with her.”

He couldn’t imagine Seo Dohyun sitting on the sofa with his little sister and enjoying movies like these. But now, he was sitting side-by-side with him on the sofa searching for a movie, so it was also somewhat funny.

“Have you seen this one?”

“Seen it.”

“This one?”

“Seen it.”

“This one.”

“No.”

Yigeom narrowed down the list of movies to watch with him and played one. It was about people trapped in a murderer’s mansion trying to escape somehow.

Because they kept getting killed by the murderer, only two people were left in the end. All they had to do was open the front door to escape, but the key was in the murderer’s hand. At that moment, one of the two remaining people, a man named ‘John’, mustered his courage and fought the murderer, resulting in them taking each other down.

Seeing that, the thought that it would have been better if everyone had just worked together to take down the murderer from the start instead of trying to escape came to mind, so it didn’t seem like a very well-made movie.

‘The story has no structure.’

In the end, only the last person escaped, and everyone else died.

Yigeom muttered as he picked up the snacks in front of him.

“To die right in front of the exit. What was John thinking?”

Seo Dohyun, who he expected would scoff and call him a fool, gave an unexpected answer.

“Maybe it was the feeling of wanting at least you to live.”

“…I see.”

“I suppose so.”

Yigeom recited in a low voice.

“He was a cool person.”

“He was also a meddlesome person.”

“He nagged a lot too.”